On a fateful October night in 2016, Najeeb Ahmed, a 27-year-old biotechnology student at India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), disappeared, leaving his family in anguish and unanswered questions. Ahmed's last known connections before his disappearance were a dispute with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a right-wing student organization. While ABVP members have consistently denied involvement, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has struggled to uncover any clues.

The case’s trajectory shifted dramatically when the CBI, which assumed responsibility for the investigation from local police in 2017, announced it had exhausted all potential leads. In a recent court ruling, a judge expressed hope for Ahmed’s discovery but ultimately upheld the CBI’s request to close the case. Ahmed's mother, Fatima Nafees, expressed her family’s frustration, questioning the thoroughness of the investigation. “What message does it send, that India’s premier investigating agency has not been able to find a missing student from one of India’s best universities?” she lamented.

Fatima recounts the sacrifices made by her family, who hails from a humble background, supporting Najeeb’s dream of studying at JNU. She had initially cautioned him against staying in campus housing, fearing for his safety, but he was determined. On the night of his disappearance, following a confrontation with ABVP supporters related to student elections, Ahmed reportedly sustained injuries. His roommate, Mohd Qasim, alleged that the hospital refused to treat Ahmed without a police complaint, which never materialized.

As the investigation unfolded, Ahmed was last seen leaving campus in a tuk-tuk early on the morning of October 15, 2016. Fatima, alerted by her son’s roommate, arrived at JNU only to find her son missing. Days of fruitless searching led her to file a petition in the Delhi High Court, criticizing police inaction. The court’s decision to pass the case to the CBI did not yield better results, prompting Fatima to return to the courts challenging the agency’s findings in 2020.

Her persistence reflects the anguish of a family unwilling to abandon hope, even as the CBI claimed to have probed more than 500 witnesses and searched wide-ranging locations without success. Critics, including legal representatives, have raised concerns regarding the investigation’s rigor, especially regarding the ABVP members. Nafees contended that her son’s religion played a role in the perceived apathy towards the inquiry.

Despite the bleak outcome of the investigation, Nafees maintains a poignant tradition, participating in an annual candle march at JNU to honor her son on the anniversary of his disappearance. Her hopes of a resolution may have dimmed, but the quest for justice continues as Fatima Nafees remains resolute in her fight for answers about her son’s fate.